Brian & Kristin

My Funny Valentine

2012-02-14T12:26:00.000-07:00

Heartbreaker

2012-02-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

No words necessary... I am dying over his expressions!!

so proud.
so cheesy.
I cannot even handle his face in these!!!

Cutest Bum Ever.

Play Time

2012-02-09T20:07:00.000-07:00

These two are best buds.

Daddy can always cheer him up or make him laugh.

Meltdown on the way

love love love these baby blues!

5 Months

2012-01-30T20:59:00.001-07:00

Whhaaaat!?

How can this handsome little guy be 5 months already!?

He is getting too big and growing up too fast!

I feel like we are going to blink and he'll be 5.

There are a few good things about him turning 5 months, though...

He is So.Much.Fun right now.

I'm sure I'll say that every month from here on out but it's true.

He has become the most happy, mellow, easy baby.

If you talk to him or even look in his direction, he gives you big smiles and gets so excited.
He scrunches his nose up and smiles when he gets excited.

He is pretty good at just laying on his mat or jumping in the Jumperoo and just entertaining himself.

By entertaining, I mean jumping, sucking on his hands, or trying to chew on anything in his reach.

He is always wearing a bib because he drools all day long... his bib or clothes are soaked in a few hrs

He really only fusses or whines when he gets really hungry or he gets lonely and needs attention.

He definitely lets you know when he wants you to come watch him jump and to talk to him.

He is sleeping through the night. We put him down around 7 or 7:30 and he wakes up at 6:30 or 7am.

He'll usually wake up and just lay in there awake for ~15 min, waiting for us to come get him.

Brian says he heard Braxton say MAMA, so clear, while he was in there waiting this morning.
{Wishful thinking that he actually meant it?}

He is still so close to rolling from his back to his tummy but we're still not there yet.

He just found his feet.

He is very ticklish... this is usually how we get most of his laughs.
When he can't stand the tickling anymore, he'll grunt or squeal.

We grow more crazy about this little nugget every single day.

Please don't get any bigger, OK!?

Sleep Training

2012-01-21T09:12:00.001-07:00

We attempted sleep training this week. Definitely not my favorite part of parenting thus far.

Braxton has been pretty good at sleeping... he'll go down around 7 or 7:30 at night, then sleeps until 3 or 4 am and is ready to eat. Getting up at 3:30 then again at 5 was starting to wear on me and we figured its time to drop the middle of the night feeding. Our pediatrician said he should be sleeping through the night anytime after 4 months and recommended the Ferber Method. It's essentially letting them cry it out with some intervention... You go in and sooth them after 5 minutes of crying, then after 10 min, then after 15 min, then again after 15 min, etc... until they are back asleep.

Night 1:

He threw us for a loop and woke up at 11:30 pm. He started crying and I went in after 5 minutes, picked him up, soothed him, told him I loved him, and then put him back down. More crying. Did the same thing after 10 min, then after another 15 min, and another 15 min. During the second 15 min interval he finally fell back asleep and slept until 5 am. He cried for about 40 minutes total and it was torture for mama.

Night 2:

He slept through the whole night and woke up at 5 am again. We got him up and fed him since we were getting ready for work anyways. Then he fell back asleep for another few hours when we put him in the car for the babysitters.

Night 3:

Slept until 5 am again but instead of getting him up, we tried to get him to sleep until 7 am. He whined and fussed off and on for about an hour but never really started crying. Then slept until 7:30 am.

Night 4:

Slept the whole night until 7 am. Awesome! Hoping that we have a fast learner!

Night 5:

Slept until 5:30 am, then whined and fussed off and on until 6:30 am. He started to cry so we just got him up for the day and fed him.

I'm hoping we can keep it up and he'll sleep until at least 6:30 or 7 am. Not having to get up at 3 or 4 had been amazing! He still isn't the best napper during the day... sometimes he'll sleep for a good hour or two and other times it's 30 minute cat naps all day long. We are also guilty and have been letting him nap in the swing. He sleeps great in his crib at night but hates to nap in there and we'd rather him have the rest then enforce the crib. Hopefully we can transition soon :)

Wish us and our little sleeper good luck!

New Tricks

2012-01-20T11:02:00.001-07:00

We got the jumperoo a few weeks before Christmas and every time we put Braxton in it, he would just sit there and look at us like "what the heck am I supposed to do in this thing?!"

About 3 weeks ago it finally clicked and now he has been jumping like crazy. He will stay in there for quite awhile just bouncing away... and then he starts 'talking'. If we leave him alone too long, the talking turns into whining until we come over and give him attention. Then its all smiles again.

His spitting up has decreased so much since the 4 month mark. He still has a big one every once in awhile but not every burp like it used to be. He drools constantly, though. And anything he can get his hands on goes straight to his mouth. He loves to chew on our hands and fingers... I have a feeling he'll be an early teether.

He is also SO CLOSE to rolling over from his back to his tummy. He wiggles so much while attempting it, he can turn himself around an entire 360 on the ground.

He is so cute when he wakes up in the morning. When we get him up to take to the babysitters he is still soo sleepy. He tries so hard to open his eyes but it takes a few minutes. When he can finally wake up a little he looks at us and gives us the sweetest smile!

We've been attempting to give him 1 Tbsp of rice cereal at his last feeding. He'll usually have a few bites and then gets fussy or refuses to pay attention and take any more. I've also tried giving him half of his bottle first so he's not frantic or really hungry but that didn't seem to help. He opens his mouth for the spoon and I'm pretty sure at least 1/3 of what he eats actually gets in his belly, so I don't know if he's just not interested at all or not ready for solids yet.

He has the normal bald spot on the back of his head but he has also lost at ton of hair on top of his head too...right where the last of his cradle cap is that we can't seem to get rid of.

He has started doing this thing where he brings his legs up and then kicks them down together on the ground. He does it when he's just laying on the floor and when he's stirring in his crib. Just kicks them to the ground... over and over. Cracks us up!

He has started laughing a lot more easily too... so fun!

We sure love you, Nug!!!

Birthday Boy

2012-01-15T14:39:00.000-07:00

This guy has a birthday today. All he wanted was a new pillow to sleep on and steak for dinner.

No problem, babe.

Love you, Bia!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T21:07:00.001-07:00

We had a really quiet Christmas Eve and Christmas day with just our little family of three.

Our good friends, the Rabazzis, had us over for an authentic Italian dinner on Christmas Eve and we spent Christmas day just lounging around at home.

Most of Brian's family drove out on the 26th and spent the rest of the week with us.

We went to the Children's Museum...

{the bubble room}

Oh hey there handsome! Yes, you are the cutest baby!!

We also went sledding...

{isn't that light incredible!?}

{Nana and her boys}

And more sledding...

{I think it's fair to say Emily likes the snow and Jack does not}

{note to self... get in FRONT of the camera more! So sad I didn't get any pics with Emily or Jackie or Ethan... or of the whole family!}

{Braxton and Uncle Matt}

We also went skiing up at Eldora but I don't have any pictures. There was 30 mph winds and a 0 degree wind chill. It was miserable. We wanted to put Ethan on skis for the first time but Jackie and I ended up camping out in the lodge with him. Matt tried snowboarding for the first time and we got Emily on skis for the second time. I think they still had fun even though it was cold and super icy.

Overall, I think we had a good mix of getting out to do things and downtime at home. We just missed Cathey, Brent, Mark and Poppie! Hopefully they can all make it out next time!

4 Months

2012-01-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Smiles like crazy
We've started to get really good laughs out of him but we have to work pretty hard for those.

Can roll from his tummy to his back and is really close going from his back to his tummy

Not a big fan of tummy time

Definitely a thumb sucker still

Tried rice cereal for the first time

Slept through the night for 1 week and then we had a week of waking up 2-3 times a night

We're back to almost sleeping through the night again
(gets up once around 3 or 4 am)

Weight: 12 lb, 15 oz (10%)

Height: 24.5" (45%)

Head Circumference: 42.5" (50%)

And now... picture overload since I haven't been very good about posting updates.

Here's what we've been up to the last month:

Trying out the jumperoo for the first time. So unsure.

I want to eat those cheeks!

Typical nightime craziness

These smiles melt my heart!!

His giggle smile

morning snuggles

One of my FAVORITE things he does! Love that he sucks his thumb!

{I promise he has more than just car jammies, and I promise that we do actually dress him in clothes most days}

Crazy boy

Looking so big at his 4 month check-up

He had a blowout at lunch and that was the one day I didn't have extra clothes for him (of course)

I cannot even handle his face! hahaha... these pics crack me up every time I see them!

Headed to the mall with only pants on.

Mom of the Year.

Christmas Party

2012-01-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

{December 16th}

We had two really great date nights for both mine and Brian's Christmas parties.

We didn't get any pics from mine and only a few crappy ones from Brian's.
{my little point and shoot camera is apparently broken and only takes blurry pics now}

Oh well... it was a great break and a great time!

Stephen & Ellie

Danielle & Eric

Casa Bonita

2012-01-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

{December 15th}

Brian and a bunch of our friends organized a night out to Casa Bonita to celebrate several December birthdays.

It is a huge Mexican restaurant with flame throwers, cliff divers, arcades games, Black Barts Cave, Penny Machines, unlimited sopaipillas, skits and the worst Mexican food you can imagine.

Every kid loves it.

Every adult hates it.

We all remembered loving it when we were kids but none of us had been back in a long time.

Every single one of us had a stomach ache or digestive problems the next day... reminding us why every adult hates it.

Braxton slept through the whole thing like a champ!

We Have a Roller!

2011-12-31T20:12:00.001-07:00

My Boys

2011-12-12T13:20:00.000-07:00

Gosh, I love that cute face!!

Meltdown

2011-12-11T21:24:00.003-07:00

In the 2 minutes it took to get his bottle ready he went from happy and smiling... to this...

Dramatic much?

Tummy Time

2011-12-11T21:24:00.000-07:00

A few pics from his days with Mimi last week

Back to Work

2011-12-08T11:12:00.002-07:00

This is my first week as a working mama.

It's kind of bittersweet.... its nice to have some time to myself during the day again and be able to get things done, but I sure miss my nugget.

It's so hard to leave when he is so happy and smiley in the morning and makes me sad that I only get to see him 1-2 hrs a day now.

The last 3 months have gone by so fast.

They have been really hard at times and really good at others.
Being a parent is so much harder than anyone ever tells you.

But it's hard to stay frusterated when you get this face:

I have stopped pumping and Braxton is on 100% formula. He was on all breastmilk for the first 2 months and then we started introducing formula little by little. I know that doesn't seem like a long time but I feel good we got a solid 2-3 months. Pumping was really hard for me. It was hard being a first time mom, having to feed the baby 8 times a day AND try to pump 8 times a day. Not gonna lie- there were times that I was so jealous of moms that can just breastfeed or babies that can drink from a bottle by themselves. After the first month I cut it back to 4 times to gain some sanity back and have just been backing off since then. My sweet friend Ellie pumped for 9 months straight. God Bless her.. I have no idea how she did it. She is amazing and she is an amazing mother. I am so happy that Braxton will get to hang out with her until he starts daycare in April.

(her little girl had to use the habberman nipple too so its nice that she is very familiar with Braxton's feeding routine!)

We're still working out the digestion/formula issues. He's currently on Nutramigen- it smells like vomit but is super broken down so it should be the easiest on his system. I'm hoping this helps with the tummy aches and crying fits during feedings. If we don't see a change in the next few weeks, we'll probably try reflux medicince.

By the way... the soy formula was a definite NO GO. It was so hard on his system and hurt his belly so bad!!

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T20:55:00.001-07:00

We pulled the baby card for both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year and got out of traveling. My parents and two little brothers were in town to celebrate with us this year.

Braxton got lots of Mimi and Papa Jim time.

Meeting Uncle Kyle for the first time!

In true fashion, he came straight off a plane from Vegas...didn't even sleep the night before.

Check out this cheeser!

We attempted a Christmas card picture but the ones with all of us all came out awkward or had bad lighting.

But, the ones of the nugget came out adorable.

I'm so thankful for my sweet little family.

3 Months

2011-11-28T22:28:00.001-07:00

Happy 3 months to my baby boy!!

At 3 Months:

Braxton loves the swing and hates the bouncy chair.

I'm lucky if I can get him to tolerate it for 10 minutes so I can shower before he gets annoyed and throws a fit.

Gives out lots of smiles!

This has changed so much in just the last week... we used to have to work pretty hard for them (unless it was in the morning), but now he is very generous with them all times of day.

Mimi got his first laugh out of him over Thanksgiving!

We haven't been able to replicate it yet.

Is such a wiggle worm.

He loves to just lay on his play mat and kick and wave his arms around.

{hanging out with nana}

Loves to stand up and put weight on his legs.

Has found his hands and sucks on them often. He is still working on finding his thumb but gets lucky every once in awhile.

I think we will have a thumb sucker and I LOVE it!
(also helps sooth him since he can't hold a pacifier in his mouth)

Has NO patience when he gets hungry.

We have less than 5 minutes from the first time he fusses until a major meltdown unless you get that bottle in his mouth.

Has been going to bed around 8:00 at night for over a week.

Sleeps until 3 or 4 am and then again till 7/7:30.

When I start work next week we have to leave the house by 6:15/6:30 am... any suggestions on how to start this routine?? Do I wake him up at 5:45 and try to feed him?? I would hate to just put him in the car and hope he stays asleep until we get there. I would also hate to deliver a cranky, hungry baby and be like "bye! Have fun!" when I leave for work :)

Has very big feet. We've been in 3-6 month socks now for over a month.

He is really filling out his 0-3 month clothes and we can probably bump him up a size in the next few weeks. I put away a ton of his newborn/0-3 month onsies that he has already outgrown and it made me so sad!! Especially the ones we hardly got to wear :(

We've had some major problems with tummy aches and trapped gas the last couple of weeks. Some feedings are so easy and some are pure torture. He just cries and screams the whole time and its so hard to get burps out and the food down.

(these feedings usually last an hr and are so stressful!)

We thought it could just be trapped gas and we weren't burping him well enough since he takes in more air than normal with the Habberman nipple. We also thought he might just have trouble digesting formula since he didn't seem to have as much of a problem when he was just on breast milk. We've tried each kind and are on to soy formula this week. We're also trying just formula and not giving him breast milk thinking that it might be a milk intolerance (although, I've been drinking milk the whole time and like I said, he didn't seem to have much of a problem in the beginning when it was just breast milk).

I've considered that it could be reflux or acid reflux but it doesn't seem to hurt him when it comes up very often. And again- its very sporadic. Some feedings are so easy and great (even with spit-up) and some are just hard.

Little Sleeper

2011-11-11T12:10:00.001-07:00

Guess who has slept for 7 hours straight the past 4 nights?!!

We thought it might be a fluke since the first night we both fell asleep before putting him in his crib and he slept in our bed with us...

(and he always sleeps better on someone or in our bed)
But nope- he did the same thing the next 3 nights in his own crib. We are pumped! We are still working on pushing bedtime back to 7:30/8 from 9:30/10... but we'll get there. I'm also hoping I didn't just jinx our good luck by bragging.

He is smiling a lot, making his sweet baby noises (his 'sighs' are my favorite) and wiggling like crazy. He loves to stand up and look out and sometimes he is only happy when doing so. He still loves bath time, and still sleeps with his hands up by his face.

We are also working on getting him to 'put himself to sleep'... this one is a work in progress. Usually we rock him awhile and get him nice and calm and sleepy and then put him in his crib. He'll just hang out awake in there for 5-10 minutes, fuss and whine off and on for another 5-10 minutes and then calm back down and go to sleep. If he starts crying, we'll go in and sooth him or rock him some more, but I'm hoping he gets the hang of our bedtime routine.

I sure love this little nugget of ours!

{sorry all the photos are crappy iphone pics...hoping to get more on my nice camera soon!}

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T11:32:00.000-06:00

2 Months

2011-10-31T11:22:00.000-06:00

My baby boy is 2 months old!!

The last 2-3 weeks have been hard. Braxton has been extra fussy...From constant whining and fussing to major (inconsolable) meltdowns. There wasn't really any pattern making it really hard to make him feel better or calm down. The last few days have been a huge improvement and he's been pretty happy so I'm hoping it was just a 'phase'.

We had his 2 month check-up last Friday and he handled his shots like a champ.

His stats are...

Weight: 10 lb 12 oz (25%)

Height: 22" long (49%)

Head Circumference: 75% (I don't remember the number)

He has started smiling a lot more, making lots of noises, and wiggling around a ton. He is starting to get such a little personality and is a lot more fun.

And because pictures are the best part...here are some from the last 2 weeks.

Ready to Party!

Cousins

2011-10-19T14:07:00.002-06:00

Jamaal, BG, and the kiddos came up to visit us last weekend and to meet Braxton for the first time. It was pretty uneventful... we hung out at home a lot and made a trip to the aquarium. I can't believe how big Lorraine and Miles are from last time we saw them this summer! Miles has basically doubled in size!

And as you can see... someone else has learned to ham it up for the camera.

Braxton was less than impressed

Mimi wanted a picture of all the grandkids together...this series cracks me up!

Ethan is TWO

2011-10-19T14:06:00.000-06:00

Our nephews birthday was the day before the wedding so we celebrated the day after with family... it was really low key with just pizza, gifts and cake.

Papa and Braxton

Ethan got tons of "bye-bye's" (what he calls cars/trucks) - his favorite.

He also realized that he loves frosting!! He wouldn't blow out the candles but he put his hand in the cake to taste the frosting. When he realized it was good- he started trying to dig his hand in over and over and get as much as he could :)

We tried all weekend to get a pic of Ethan and Braxton together... these next two were the closest we got. Ha!

6 Weeks

2011-10-12T12:40:00.000-06:00

Starting to smile

Eyes are clear and turning dark blue

Does not like to be left in his crib/room alone when he's awake
{must be fully asleep before we lay him down and leave}

Likes to snuggle/sleep in our bed in the mornings

Gets very fussy at night before bed time, usually between 7 and 10 pm
...making it very hard for mama and daddy to cook dinner/hang out/relax/watch TV/watch movies/etc

Still likes baths
Everyone says he looks just like his daddy

Stealing our hearts more and more every single day.

Cathey and Brent Get Married!

2011-10-11T17:51:00.003-06:00

My sister-in-law, Cathey, married her high school sweetheart on September 30th!

My mom came down to drive out to Oklahoma with me and Brian flew out and met us. Braxton did awesome on his first long road trip... slept most of the time each way and just got a little fussy the last hour or so. It was such a big help having my mom out there with us to watch Braxton while we were busy with wedding stuff.

{Snuggling with Aunt Em after we got there}

The rehearsal dinner:

Cathey planned out an adorable DIY wedding and her and her friends made almost all of the details. The wedding was out at a barn in Tulsa with the ceremony near the pond on the property. They had incredible weather and everything turned out so cute!!

One of Cathey's friends and bridesmaids designed and made Cathey a custom wedding dress (and all the bridesmaid dresses!)... it turned out INCREDIBLE!! She is sooo talented! Seriously check out her website and other designs!

They put a photo booth, sweet shop (homemade cookies as favors), dinner and the bar in the different stalls of the barn. Then out back was a big tent with all the tables and dance floor. I'm so sad I didn't get any pictures of the tent and all the fun details out there... it wasn't all set up when I was snapping pics and I was too busy mingling and dancing during the reception to catch any of it.

Jackie got Ethan and Braxton matching ties from Etsy to wear...
Get ready for the CUTEST little nugget you have ever seen!

Of course we didn't get a single picture with the two of them together :(

How gorgeous does Cat look?! SERIOUSLY!

{check out the two coolest bridesmaids right here}

Braxton saying goodbye to the newlyweds as they leave for their honeymoon!
LOVE YOU Aunt Cat and Uncle Brent!

Random Photos

2011-10-11T17:18:00.000-06:00

Just random photos from my phone of the little nugget lately:

 {fell asleep like this :)}

One Month

2011-10-11T17:13:00.001-06:00

{September 29th}

In Love

2011-09-26T13:25:00.000-06:00

We got more newborn pictures back from Jenna and they.are.awesome.

I love how she captured the new little family we've made.

These confirm to me that I absolutely picked right person to spend my life with.

So in love with my man... and our little nugget.

Check out the rest of our session HERE

3 Weeks

2011-09-23T18:05:00.001-06:00

Time is still flying by. We are starting to figure out a 'schedule'... or at least a way I can get something done (besides feeding, pumping, and rocking a baby to sleep) and not feel like all my days are over before I know it.

At 3 weeks:
Braxton was sleeping 3-4 hr stretches but now wakes up starving every 2-2.5 hrs... hopefully just a growth spurt.

Is showing so much personality when he eats (well, to us). Lots of noises, grunts, old man faces, and the crazy head shake that indicates the 'starving' mentioned above. I'll get a video and post it... so funny!

Has his awake time between 8 and 11 pm. Not ideal since his dad wants to go to bed at 9, but we'll work on it.

Still gets the hiccups.

Likes to be swaddled but hates when you wrap up his arms. He likes to sleep with them up by his face.

Has outgrown his newborn clothes and is now fitting into his 0-3 mth ones.

I dressed my little man up and took a few posed newborn pictures.

Then, I took some more casual ones the other day and like these a lot better.

Funny side note... Brian experienced the first blowout yesterday. I left to get some laundry out and came back to this.

Instead of putting more clothes on Braxton, he just swaddled back up his half naked body and continued to feed him.

Sleepy Little Guy

2011-09-21T18:37:00.000-06:00

2 Weeks Old

2011-09-10T21:26:00.001-06:00

I have no idea how 2 weeks have already gone by!

Exactly two weeks ago we went to bed just the two of us and when we woke up, Braxton was on his way. Time is already flying by but we are loving this little nugget of ours.

He sleeps 3 hour stretches at night already and gets the hiccups every day. He sucks on his hands when he gets hungry and the only time he cries (with the exception of getting his heel pricked at the doctor) is when he runs out of patience while we are heating the bottle...and even then, its a single wail or two.

A few pictures of our first bath yesterday... he wasn't sure what was going on but I think he liked it.

He's Here!

2011-09-05T20:42:00.002-06:00

Introducing...

Braxton Mitchell Beam

Born August 28, 2011

10:58 am

8 lb 3 oz

20 in

We are tired and adjusting... but we are pretty dang crazy about him.

Here are some highlights of his birth:

7 hours of total labor from 1st contraction to delivery

I was 6 cm dilated by the time we got to the hospital (1 hr after contractions started) and 10 cm within 2 hours.

{the view out our window right after my epidural}

Thank God for epidurals.

I would have paid a million dollars for that thing if that's what they cost. To go from the most horrible pain I've ever felt to feeling nothing... incredible. I have no idea how women do this thing all natural- more power to them!

He was born 2 weeks early

(good thing...b/c he could have easily been over 9 lbs)

The first night at the hospital, the nurse noticed that he has a cleft palette.

That kind of news is a little devastating at 4 am when you've just popped out a baby. We were pretty shook up at first but felt a lot better about it after talking to the doctor.

We have talked to the Cleft Team at Children's Hospital in Denver and have an appointment for them to check him out in a few weeks. His appears to just be the soft tissue at the back of his throat/roof of his mouth- the most minor of the clefts. Since there is a 'gap' back there, he cannot create a suction and therefore can't breastfeed successfully. I have just been pumping and we bottle feed him with a special nipple that helps 'push' the milk in his mouth. They will do surgery somewhere between 6 and 12 months old to close up the gap and then he should be good as new! Since they do the surgery early, he shouldn't have any issues with speech or feeding.

I think that covers the big points... here are some more pics of our little nugget!

My good friend, mentor, and favorite photographer, Jenna Walker, took some maternity photos at 36 weeks for us... here is a slideshow of those:

http://www.treeswingkids.com/slideshows/babybeam/

We also wanted her to come take pictures of the birth at the hospital. They blocked off 3 weeks around his due date where they were on call 24/7. When I told them I was already dilated at 37 weeks and he would probably come early- they blocked off another 2 weeks of coverage for me. There was only 1 day, SUNDAY August 28th, from midnight until 2 pm, where they could not be there. He was born at 10:58 am on THAT day. (Of course)

Since they couldn't be there... Jenna was gracious enough to come up to the hospital the next day to snap a few pics of Braxton for us. Here is the slideshow of those:

http://www.treeswingkids.com/slideshows/braxton/

They are also coming this week for more newborn photos so I'll be posting those too when we get them!

Ready or Not...

2011-08-25T08:44:00.000-06:00

We had maternity photos taken 2 weeks ago but I haven't gotten the CD yet so I'll have to just post those pics out of order.

I'm at 38 weeks now and, although I technically have 2 weeks until my due date, I am already dilated 4.5 cm and my doctor expects he'll come a little early. We've officially begun the 'waiting game' and I have officially become paranoid that every contraction I feel could be the real deal.

This whole process has seemed very low key but packing a hospital bag and washing all his clothes have made it very real, very quickly and we are getting as 'ready' as you can be for this little man to get here. I am very ready to be done with pregnancy and I am ready to meet him. But I still feel really nervous that our lives are about to totally change and we will soon be a family of 3!

34 Weeks

2011-08-19T08:11:00.000-06:00

{July 28th}

This was definitely the point where I started to feel very uncomfortable and was totally over being pregnant (you can imagine my sentiment now, 3 weeks later...). My feet are officially swollen all the time and this one pair of black flip flops are all I can fit into. I am starting to outgrow my maternity clothes and definitely feel like I am running out of room for this little nugget in my belly.

This is also 2 days before moving day. Have I mentioned how much I DO NOT recommend moving when you are almost 9 months pregnant?!?!

Baby Shower

2011-08-19T08:07:00.000-06:00

{July 23rd}
My best friend, Natalie, and her mom threw me the sweetest baby shower a few weeks ago. It was perfect... awesome lunch, awesome company, (no cheesy games), and generous gifts for Baby Beam.

I don't have the best pics since my camera was on a weird setting (and apparently my moms hands aren't too steady) but here are a few from our sweet day...

{For Brian... until I get my figure back :)}

Celebrating Cathey

2011-08-12T21:33:00.001-06:00

{July 16th}

I flew out to Broken Arrow for Cathey's bridal shower and bachelorette party. The other bridesmaids put on the cutest shower for her in the morning and Jackie and I coordinated the bachelorette party that night. The weekend was jam packed and I think a great time was had by all!

The Bride with 2 of the hostesses, Jessy and Jessie

{My sweet mother-in-law is very emotional... as you can see in this series of 4 pics}

all the bridesmaids

Awesome cake and cookies made and decorated by Jessie!

{these were part of the cutest 3 part gift... "for when the answer is 'no'"}

Baby Beam experienced his first night out on the town and danced it up until 2 am.

(He made me pay big time the next day with HUGE feet/ankles and a sore body)

Since it was dark and I had a black dress on, it wasn't really noticeable that I was preggo but once I brought it to their attention, the baby belly served as a great deterrent from creepers we didn't care to dance with :)

Flathead Lake 2011

2011-08-11T21:12:00.001-06:00

{July 3rd - 9th}

Similar to our trip last year (Part I and Part II), our week at Flathead Lake was pretty uneventful.

It mostly consisted of: playing with the babies, boat rides, morning walks/runs, eating, movies, more playing with the babies, wake boarding, campfires and smores, hot tubbing, and visiting Lake Side.

Its crazy to see how much my niece, Lorraine, has changed in one year. Next year Mimi will have her hands full with grand kids.... a 3 year old, a 1 1/2 year old, and a 9 month old... plus a puppy :)

he loves his sister...she always makes him laugh!

The water may have been a little cold... good thing I had the preggo excuse to not jump in this year

{horrible collage, but you get the idea}

Like father, like daughter

my favorite picture... oh my gosh I love this girl!

Miles loves his Papa Jim

31 Weeks

2011-07-25T08:46:00.000-06:00

{July 8th}

31 weeks, 2 days

I am clearly soo behind on pictures/posts... an updated belly pic to (hopefully) come this week!

Tyler and Breanna

2011-07-21T21:46:00.001-06:00

{July 1st and 2nd}

Our first weekend up in Montana we were in Billings for my cousin Tyler's wedding. It was also a mini family reunion with my mom's side and we were only missing 3 of the 13 immediate cousins.

(Kyle, Michael and Heidi)

(several of my extended family members on my moms side)

I want to eat him up... LOVE those chubby legs!

Grandma Pat and Miles

Lorraine and Papa Jim

the bride and groom

can you even handle that belly?!?!

(His first time to dance with a girl... so precious)

It was so much fun to hang out with everyone and we had a great time at the wedding!

This trip was also the beginning of swollen feet (as in, there is only 1 pair of flip flops my feet currently fit in now) and cankles...awesome!

Busy Summer

2011-07-04T19:39:00.000-06:00

We had initially thought this was going to be such a laid back summer with no big plans. Then we decided to sell our house, buy another house across town and move... all just 2 months before we have this baby! We are also taking the annual trip to the lake in Montana for a week and heading out to Broken Arrow for Cathey's bridal shower and bachelorette party. Oh- and throw a few photography projects in there too! (I got to second shoot a wedding up in Vail last weekend with a good friend of mine)

(if you're looking for a house in Denver, ours is officially for sale!)
http://5503fullertoncir.seealltheinfo.com/

These are flowers we planted 3 years ago. We got our FIRST blooms ever the day we put our house on the market.... Ironic?!

28 Weeks

2011-06-15T21:03:00.002-06:00

25 Weeks

2011-05-29T13:12:00.002-06:00

25 weeks, 3 days

Double Graduation

2011-05-29T12:56:00.001-06:00

Both Brian's sister and my little brother graduated from college this year. Luckily they go to the same school :) So we made one trip out to Norman and packed our short weekend with 2 graduations and double the family time. It was a little hectic going back and forth between the 2 families but we had fun getting to spend time with everyone and celebrating both Cathey and Jeremy!

(Lots of pictures ahead)

Miles and his buddy, Papa

We haven't all been together since this wedding 2 years ago. So of course we knocked out a few family pictures

(happy 99% of the time... but when he gets upset- so dramatic)

Lots of giggles over potty humor

(Kyle was really into the ceremony)

Now the Beam family side....

all the kids... minus Mark :(

we tried to get pics with E-man... but he was much more into exploring!

When we walked around campus he was ONLY interested in walking the stroller.

When we stopped moving- meltdown! :)

Cathey and her fiance, Brent.

Cathey was hooded with her Doctorate of Physical Therapy and Jeremy got his BS in Petroleum Engineering.
We're so proud of our smart family!!!

22 Weeks

2011-05-10T22:30:00.000-06:00

May 4th - 22 Weeks

Babymoon in Hawaii!

2011-05-10T22:27:00.002-06:00

{April 27th - May 1st}

We found a great package deal to go to Hawaii awhile ago and booked the trip with our good friends Dave and Cortney. It was only 5 days but was easier to justify since we didn't have to take many vacation days at work (and we'll be needing all of those when Baby Beam comes). We stayed at the Westin on Maui and it was gorgeous! We had perfect weather the whole time. We spent most of the days just relaxing and hanging out at the pool or beach. Brian wanted to do a few more 'active' things like hike to exotic waterfalls, surf, paddle board, etc but that just wasn't happening with this big baby belly. Plus, it was hard to fit a lot in in just a few days. Our little babymoon couldn't have come at a better time and we're already planning when we can go back!

our hotel

the view from our room

Day 1 - Napili Beach - our favorite

21 weeks

Day 2 - we just hung around the pool and hotel beach

{and I finally felt Baby Beam move for the first time! 21 1/2 weeks}

Day 3 - Ate breakfast at the incredible Gazebo Restaurant and snorkeled around Black Rock

{these guys were leaving the restaurant at the same time... we got a good laugh! Poor girl!}

{Brian and Dave jumping off Black Rock}

Day 4 - More pool/Beach time and checking out the Penquins at the Hyatt

When we got to the beach they had a big area and these signs posted... check out this guy just chill'n on our beach!

Celebrating Lindsey

2011-05-06T09:48:00.000-06:00

Brian and I won't be able to make their Mexico wedding in June so I hopped down to Dallas for Lindsey's bridal shower a few weeks ago. It was also sweet bonus time with Chass!!

20 Weeks

2011-04-18T18:04:00.001-06:00

We had our 20 week ultrasound today...by far my favorite part of being pregnant. We didn't get very many good, clear pics since it was moving around a ton the whole time!

Here are a few that were pretty clear...

It kept being 'shy' and putting its hands up around its face.

Except for when we wanted to see the goods.... then HE was nice and proud:

Only 5 more months until we get to meet Baby BOY Beam!

19 Weeks

2011-04-14T22:01:00.000-06:00

Next Monday is the big day!! What's your guess... BOY or GIRL?!

Triple Date

2011-04-12T18:13:00.000-06:00

Although not the best pictures, a few from our recent triple date with Sarah & Gavin and Natalie & Mike last weekend. Great food, Better company.

(large and in charge... 18 weeks, 3 days)

Birthday Girl

2011-04-12T18:10:00.000-06:00

Better late than never, right?

I celebrated 28 years on March 29th. Besides getting to pick out new patio furniture (with blessings from the husband), I was treated to dinner at the Melting Pot with a group of our close friends. I have been wanting to try out the restaurant for awhile now and it did not disappoint.

{It was great having such a large group b/c we got to try several types of each course vs. just one kind if had been just Brian and I}

16 weeks, 3 days

2011-04-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

Los Angeles

2011-03-30T18:47:00.006-06:00

Earlier this month we made a weekend trip out to LA. Brian and Dave were in a class at UCLA all week for work so Cortney and I flew out Thursday night to join them. We scored a killer deal at the Ritz in Marina Del Rey on Priceline and cruised around all weekend in our go-cart (The Versa).

The first day we hit all the highlights...Hollywood Blvd, Beverly Hills (Rodeo Drive), Sprinkles Cupcakes, In N' Out Burger, and met up with college friends at Griffith Observatory (it was free and had a killer view of the whole city!)

That night we split up and Brian and I met up with my brother Kyle, his friend Casey, and my long time friend/best neighbor Eric.

Day 2: Since we knocked bigger touristy stuff off the list on Friday, we checked out Santa Monica Pier on Saturday. We browsed around and then rented cruisers and rode down the beach...by far the most fun part of the trip.

15 Weeks

2011-03-21T08:39:00.001-06:00

Baby Beam at 15 weeks

{photo taken on my phone}

I feel that I am a lot bigger than most for the beginning of my second trimester, but at least I look somewhat pregnant instead of like I just gained 10 extra pounds.

Love Love Love

2011-03-04T09:42:00.003-07:00

We got to spend a day with my little niece and nephew last weekend up in the mountains and it was awesome! It was our first time to meet baby Miles and I am officially in LOVE! He is the sweetest and most laid back baby and I can't get enough of him!! We spent the whole day playing inside and here are my favorite pics of these little munchkins.

We tried to get Lorraine to play out in the snow but she wasn't having it right after her nap. It wasn't all fun and smiles...

And if you need more proof that these are the cutest babies ever...

(I love that we got these on video!)

And Then There Were 3...

2011-02-24T19:57:00.005-07:00

Baby Beam is due September 9th and Brian and I are so excited!!

Our little munchkin at our 8 week ultrasound:

And our 12 week ultrasound:

Everything seems to be going great so far! I've had a great first trimester with no morning sickness (thank God!), but just been really tired most of the time. My stomach starts to feel uneasy/unsettled if I don't eat right when I get hungry. I haven't had any big cravings but bagels and fruit always sound good (and milk!)!

You can see its face profile, as well as little legs and even toes! It was moving around a ton during the appointment and kept stretching out its little arms and legs! Heart beat was also nice and strong- 169 beats/minute.

8 and 12 week belly pics:

Mark's Send Off

2011-02-22T10:35:00.003-07:00

Our brother in law, Mark, is about to leave for his 3rd deployment to Afghanistan this spring. Brian and I were able to fly out to Oklahoma for a very quick (as in 1 day) trip last week for his official send-off ceremony. The trip was so short and fast but its always good to see our sweet family!

waiting for the ceremony to start.

That lady behind us even answered her cell phone (not quietly) in the middle of a General's speech. Super classy.

Way too much going on to take a nap!

{only half of the guys who are deploying from the OK National Guard}

Emily's Ski Weekend

2011-02-07T18:59:00.000-07:00

For Christmas this year- we got Emily a 'ski trip' to Colorado. She flew out by herself on Thursday night, we had girl time on Friday painting pottery and shopping the outlet malls and headed up skiing on Saturday.

We left at 6:40am and it took us 4 hours to get to Breck (normally an hour and a half drive). The traffic was sooo horrible on our way up and blizzarding conditions at the tunnel left the roads really bad. We made it up though, ate lunch and then skied in the afternoon. This was Emily's first time skiing and we decided to teach her ourselves instead of putting her in a lesson. She did awesome and barely fell on the greens. For the last run, we took her all the way up and did a half blue/half green run. The blue part kicked her butt but she never complained. It was cold, windy, and snowing hard all day but I think she had a great time!

We decided to eat dinner in Frisco and let some of the traffic pass. Well- it continued to snow all day/night so the roads were even worse and it still took us 3.5 hours to get home. Such a long day... but glad we got to take Em skiing for the first time!

Cute

2011-01-17T21:18:00.000-07:00

I know I've said it before...

CUTEST.NIECE.EVER.

28

2011-01-15T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to this hot man:

So glad you are mine. Here's to another year of adventures!

Love you, Bia!

Christmas 2010

2011-01-11T21:57:00.007-07:00

Better late than never, right?!

Christmas pics this year are pretty uneventful. We spent a lazy 3 days up in Montana just hanging out.

it was a white Christmas- and this was our view the last day when the fog finally cleared up

playing with my new lens

skiing at Whitefish

my parents cool new painting and my dads super 'cool' down booties

dad letting me practice with the new lens. Such a model (in his cool booties)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T08:20:00.002-07:00

...from our family to yours!

Steamboat Springs

2010-12-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Top 5 things about our weekend in Steamboat Springs:

1. Thanks to some friends of my parents, staying in an amazing slope-side condo- for free.

2. Celebrating our friend Rachel's birthday

3. Devouring amazing cupcakes for said birthday

4. The most fun ski day I've had in a long time!! The 1-2 feet of fresh powder didn't hurt either.

5. Relaxing in the hot tub each night as it dumped down snow!

{not related to the hot tub or snow, but makes me laugh when I see it}

Party Time

2010-12-19T21:28:00.001-07:00

I am a little late in posting these but we had a great time at Brian's company Christmas party again this year. It wasn't quite the spectacle it was last year, but we still had a great time hanging out with good friends!

Our friend Brandon had these flask binoculars- Dave did them justice!

The girls

Sweet Ellie and I

Santa Kitty

2010-12-08T20:54:00.000-07:00

We are getting into the holiday spirit around here...

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-06T20:58:00.005-07:00

We spent Thanksgiving in Broken Arrow with Brian's family this year.
{so sad I don't have any pictures of my in-laws from our trip!}

Our weekend:

{LOVES the iphone... can definitely unlock it and facsinated by the 'flashlight' app}

{Ethan & Daddy}

{Mimi & Papa}

I Love This Girl

2010-11-25T08:18:00.001-07:00

Amongst a million other things, today I am thankful for NIECES

{sissy is what my family calls me- and is as close to Krissy as she can get}

Football Season

2010-11-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

We went to watch the OU/Baylor game at Stoney's with the OU Alumni Club

{Cortney and I at halftime}

{Dave and Brian at halftime}

Great Friends

2010-11-21T14:57:00.001-07:00

I got to meet up with one of my favorite people a few weekends ago. Her and her husband live pretty close to Denver but we always have a hard time getting our schedules to match up so it's been way too long since we hung out with them! We made the trek up to Ft. Collins for dinner and I'm bummed these are the only pics I took.

I love you, Sarah!! Dinner date again, soon?!

{the outtakes... kind of blurry but I like them anyways!}

Av's Game

2010-11-11T11:26:00.001-07:00

Someone at Brian's office was selling Avalanche tickets for a school fundraiser. We got killer Club Level seats for about $20/each. We're not really into hockey and don't even understand the rules, but it was a great excuse to get out and meet up with some great friends!

{Steve being a creeper in the background}

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

2010-11-02T21:01:00.003-06:00

Brian and I flew to Norman last weekend to catch the OU game. We played CU, which means it wasn't the most competitive game, but we still love (and miss!) being there in person. It was also Parent's weekend so my parents were in town to hang out as well. We spent most of the day tailgating with my little brother and his friends and got to spend a short hour catching up with some old friends that still live in town (sadly, no pictures with the Pendergraft's!)

Girls Weekend

2010-10-24T09:55:00.001-06:00

The boys planned another camping/dirt biking trip down to Moab... like we did back in May. Us girls decided a spa weekend in Vail was more our style this time.

I love these girls and we had a great weekend getaway! Good food, good massages, and good company.

BONUS: Fall is an off-season up in the mountain resort towns. Which means awesome deals on hotels, restaurants and spa appointments!

Photoshoot

2010-10-07T10:30:00.000-06:00

I did a little photoshoot with my sisters-in-law while in OK back in September. I've been playing around with editing and am working on putting together a photography blog where I'll post more of them... but here are a few that I love!

Red River Rivalry

2010-10-03T10:10:00.000-06:00

BOOMER SOONER!!!!

{our niece Lorraine represents down in Austin}

Country Crush

2010-09-30T18:06:00.001-06:00

I love country concerts! Their shows are not over the top- they sound so great live and most of the artists seem just like really normal people.

We went with a couple of friends to see Brad Paisley last weekend... such a good show!

One

2010-09-30T18:06:00.000-06:00

While back in Oklahoma, we did a mini photo shoot for Ethan's one year pics... LOVE those cheeks!

Beam Family Pics

2010-09-26T15:56:00.002-06:00

Party Time!

2010-09-26T15:49:00.001-06:00

We were back in Broken Arrow a couple weeks ago for Ethan's first birthday party! I can't believe this little guy is already ONE, but we had a great time getting to see family and celebrating.

Happy Birthday, Monkey Man!

We love you!!

Brew at the Zoo

2010-09-26T15:01:00.001-06:00

A few pics from Brew at the Zoo

Labor Day

2010-09-13T08:25:00.001-06:00

For Labor Day weekend we went camping and off-roading near Aspen and Crested Butte with some friends. Although I'm normally not a 2-night camping kind of girl... I bucked up and willingly participated.

We drove out Friday night but didn't get to our campsite (just outside of Marble, CO) until 10pm or so. We headed out on the trail Saturday... it took us from Marble to Crested Butte. It's not really the most fun experience off-roading in a regular vehicle (vs a 4-wheeler), and even less fun when you just get shook around in the passenger seat but all the pit stops made the trip more enjoyable.

Campsite #1 - outside of Marble

Crystal Mill Powerhouse - apparently the second most photographed spot in Colorado

Cute Dave and Cortney

Brian and I

Did I mention how freak'n gorgeous Colorado is in this part of the state!?

We came upon these fall randomly when we stopped for lunch. Apparently it's cool to jump in- all the guys did it. I said NO THANKS. You can probably guess how cold it is from Brian's face.

Campsite #2 - outside of Crested Butte, heading towards Aspen

The second day we took a trail that lead us back to Aspen ... our view was amazing!!

Part of the trail took us over Pearl Pass. Let's just say it was equivalent to the most rocky, jerky, unenjoyable part of the trail on day 1.... for 3 hrs straight. I was less than trilled and feeling nauseous most of the way. This is the one and only picture I took the rest of the day.

Flathead Lake - Part II

2010-08-11T20:26:00.002-06:00

More pics from our week at the lake...

{Playing with Bubbles}

{Our view from the fire pit, just out back of my parents house}

Glacier National Park

2010-08-10T10:07:00.001-06:00

One of the days we were up in MT we headed up to Glacier National Park to hike around. The actual park is only about an hour from my parents house, but we took Logan Pass all the way to the middle of the park. Of course the day we went, it was super foggy- making it hard/impossible to see most of the surrounding mountains and view.

The start of our hike...

So foggy- you can barely see everyone

Even at 6 mths pregnant- Betseygail was a trooper

{Hidden Lake}

Once we were down the trail and under the fog- we had a much better view!

Mama and baby- passing us on the trail. All the goats were clearly used to people (...feeding them)

Flathead Lake

2010-08-09T20:15:00.000-06:00

Our week at Flathead Lake:

freezing cold lake water, jet skis, wakeboarding, water skiing, laying out, hot tub, hiking, sleeping in, eating, watching movies, running, playing with baby Lo

Our week in pictures:

I love this serious of pictures. Cutest. Swimsuit. Ever.

{She is signing "more"}

Yellowstone

2010-08-04T13:39:00.006-06:00

Brian and I are spending the week up at my parents house at Flathead Lake (NW Montana). Brian has been dying to visit Yellowstone so we decided to road trip it this summer and check it off our list. Since we left late in the afternoon on Friday, we didn't get into Jackson/Teton Nat'l Park until it was dark. But we did see this amazing sunset...

Here is a sampling of our Yellowstone experience:

Moose Falls

We ran into a huge herd on bison at one of the stops. They literally just stormed down into the parking lot and were walking between all the cars and people. Here is one that got a little too close for my comfort... we were just standing there next to him, taking this picture. Probably 6 feet away?!

And here he is about to enter the pathway of people (ISOLATED pathway). Good thing he changed his mind!

Here is one walking right up next to my window. Kind of freaky!

We spent a good part of the day checking out the "Grand Canyon" of Yellowstone. It's a huge canyon with 2 sets of beautiful falls. Here is the lower falls... we saw them from 3 different points of view:

{ONE...hiked down this huge set of stairs to view them head on}

{Gorgeous rainbow from all the mist}

{TWO... from Artist's Point. An incredible overlook. So incredible it looks fake}

but it's not- see, we were there!

{THREE...down where they poured over}

And of course, we checked out Old Faithful. Here she is in all her glory.

First Fourteener

2010-07-19T19:31:00.005-06:00

Last weekend Brian and I camped out and hiked Mt Bierstadt- one of Colorado's fourteeners. It was my first fourteener... Brian's twelfth or thirteenth. We found a cool little campsite along Guanella Pass on Friday night and then hiked all day Saturday. Round trip it was 7 miles with 2850 ft of elevation gain, and it took us about 4.5 hrs total. Not gonna lie- I thought it was pretty hard (even though it's considered one of the "easiest" fourteeners to climb). There was one point about 3/4 of the way up where I was pretty done with it- and could have cared less about summiting... but we finished and it was pretty cool!

{Don't be jealous of our cool head lamps!}

At the car before we started... we hiked the tallest peak you see here.

our view from the trail

halfway up....

At the summit!

I look like a total retard but hey, it's my first one!

Ever heard of the sandwhich place "Which Wich?"? Well, if you take a picture at the summit of a fourteener with their sandwhich bag you get a free sandwhich! Brian just happened to "summit" 3 mountains that day.
{Hey, who are we to turn down free food?!}

One Year

2010-07-10T22:47:00.000-06:00

It's been one year that we've been married. Our wedding was so perfect and better than I could have ever imagined. So far- our marriage has been the same (*maybe not perfect, but better than I could have imagined). Time sure flies when you're having fun!

Happy Anniversary, baby! One down.... many many many more to go!!

Beam Family Visit

2010-07-09T13:20:00.002-06:00

All of Brian's family came to visit over 4th of July weekend.... yup, all 7 of them! (and we were even missing his Brother, Matt) The agenda was jam packed with stuff. It was fun to show his family cool parts of Colorado but I wish we would have had more time to just hang out.

(Warning: Long post... Lots of pictures)

Day 1: Drove up to the peak of Mt. Evans

Saw 2 sheep (or goats?) get in a fight

Day 2: Went swimming, grilled out at home

Cathey and I have amazing shape-making abilities

I am in LOVE with these cheeks!!

Day 3: Rode Brian's dirt bike, Garden of the Gods (in CO Springs), Played at the park, Bath time

(BUSY DAY)

The Shawnee Family

(Brian's sister Jackie, husband Mark, and baby Ethan)

My favorite!

Day 4: Rocky Mountain National Park

We had such a great time with everyone visiting but we are exhausted!! Thanks for coming out to see us!